Near and Middle Eastern Studies Commons^™

Authority, Leadership, And Peacemaking: The Role Of The Diasporas: A Pilot Study Of A Group Relations Conference: A Dissertation, Tracy Wallach

Educational Studies Dissertations

Research suggests that conflicts are much more likely to re-ignite in societies which have large Diaspora communities in the United States. This study examines the role of American Jewish, Arab, and other Middle Eastern Diaspora communities in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and addresses the generally neglected role of trauma and emotions in perpetuating conflict.

The project employed group relations conference methodology to conduct the inquiry. A group relations lens allows one to look at the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at multiple levels: on the psychological level (looking at issues of trauma, identity, collective narrative, emotions and unconscious processes); on the social level (looking …

American Overreach: Strategic Interests And Millennial Ambitions In The Middle East, Asli Bâli, Aziz Rana

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

This article argues that American actions in the Middle East designed to advance democracy and/or ‘moderation’ tend to yield perverse outcomes that frustrate the aspirations of local actors while undermining the values purportedly being promoted by the US. In order to explain these contradictions, we emphasise the linkage between policies of democracy promotion and long-standing American commitments both to millennialism and geographical omnipresence. As a result of these policies and geopolitical vision, we argue that ‘democracy promotion’ often devolves into a simple defence of American interest – by producing electoral outcomes intended to strengthen local agents seen as compliant with …